merrion street

€3 million available for first round of proposals

The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, today (Wednesday) launched the first tranche of funding for LEADER Co-operation projects.
LEADER Co-operation is a specific element of the Rural Development Programme designed to encourage Local Action Groups (LAGs) to work together on a joint project which is of mutual interest to each participating area. Co-operation must involve a partnership of two or more LAGs from different areas – within Ireland or internationally - coming together to jointly deliver projects that benefit their respective local communities.
Minister Humphreys said:
“I am delighted to be able to provide access to this new funding stream for LEADER, which for many years has played an important role in supporting rural development in Ireland and across the rest of the EU. Co-operation is a great way to get access to new ideas, learn from other projects based either in Ireland or abroad, stimulate and support innovation, and benefit from economies of scale.
“From today, LEADER Local Action Groups can apply for funding under the first tranche of €3 million of Co-operation funding. A total of €10 million will be provided for LEADER Co-operation projects in the period to 2020 and further calls will be announced in due course. This funding is in additional to the €220 million already allocated between each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas in Ireland.”
“Co-operation is a central element of the LEADER programme and I would encourage all Local Action Groups to explore the opportunities that exist and to avail of the additional funding this can provide for their local communities.”
The first tranche of €3 million under the LEADER Co-operation strand is available through an open call for applications across the LEADER themes, which cover Economic and Enterprise Development, Social Inclusion and the Rural Environment.
Projects that are shown to deliver real added value for their local communities will be prioritised for funding. Further information regarding co-operation funding can be found at the following link:
http://www.ahrrga.gov.ie/rural/rural-development/leader/
ENDS

Notes for Editors
LEADER programme 2014-2020
LEADER is an EU co-financed programme which provides funding for rural development under three key themes:

- Economic Development, Enterprise Development and Job Creation;
- Social Inclusion; and
- Rural Environment.
Funding of €250 million (including EU co-financing and the Co-operation projects) has been made available up to 2020 for Ireland’s LEADER programme.

LEADER is delivered through Local Development Strategies in 28 sub-regional areas of the country. These sub-regions cover all areas of Ireland outside of the city boundaries of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

The Local Development Strategies, which cover the period to 2020, have been developed by LEADER Local Action Groups in each respective area. The Local Action Groups (LAGs) are comprised of public and private partners from the local area, and include representatives of the local economy and the community.

How do you apply for a Co-operation project?
Co-operation projects must be approved by each partnering Local Action Group. Projects are then submitted to the LEADER Unit in the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gealtacht Affairs for final approval.
Projects can be submitted under any of the LEADER themes when and as they are approved by the LAGs.
Where must the LAGs be located?
The partners in a Co-operation project can be other Irish Local Action Groups (Inter-territorial Co-operation) or Local Action Groups based in other EU Member States (Transnational Co-operation). Cross-border projects with Northern Ireland would be considered Transnational Co-operation.
How much funding is available?
Ireland has allocated a budget of €10 million for Co-operation projects to 2020, of which €3 million is being made available for projects to run in 2017. Further calls for proposals will be made later in the programme period to 2020.
This budget is additional to €220 million already allocated to the 28 sub-regional areas in Ireland.
How much is available per Local Action Group (LAG) per project?
Preparatory Technical Support funding is available to support LAGs to develop project ideas and partnerships to the point where they can submit a full project application. The maximum grant amount per preparatory application is €6,000 per LAG for each project and is 100% funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Full scale Co-operation projects can be funded up to a maximum of €200,000 at the same rates as apply for the rest of the LEADER programme – typically at a support rate of 75% of total costs.
What kind of project can be considered?
Any project or programme which fits within the Objectives and Actions outlined in the Local Development Strategies produced by the respective LAGs is eligible for funding.